The present invention relates to an asset management system for detecting and deterring the misappropriation or unauthorized movement or use of office equipment such as copiers and facsimile machines.
Over the years, document processing devices such as photocopiers ("copiers") and facsimile machines ("fax machines") have become increasingly important to the business community. These devices provide a convenient and inexpensive method for duplicating and distributing printed documents. In order to reduce maintenance costs, many companies and organizations have installed remote monitoring systems that collect status information from a plurality of copiers and fax machines. Examples of status information include copy counts, paper jam warnings, toner indications, adjustment warnings, malfunction indications, and connection information.
Various methods for reporting and collecting status information are known in the art. Furthermore, various methods for networking a plurality of copiers and fax machines are equally well known in the art. However, the prior art does not disclose an inexpensive method for detecting and deterring the misappropriation or unauthorized movement or use of copiers and fax machines which are connected to a monitoring network. Because these devices are expensive to replace, it is desirable to have a system that can verify whether a device is not in its authorized location and thereby deter misappropriation and unauthorized movement. It also is desirable to have a system that can remotely disable a device that is being used without proper authorization.